


Zoids: Maelstrom

by pika247



Category: Zoids
Genre: Action, Battle, Comedy, Competition, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Giant Robots, Manga & Anime, Mecha, Original Character(s), Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Slice of Life, Team, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Teamwork
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2018-12-09 16:53:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11673225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pika247/pseuds/pika247
Summary: A century after the Blitz Team's triumph over the Backdraft, the Zoids Battle Commission remains strong. Teams are well sponsored, and pilots often supplement their winnings with mercenary contracts.Luc Anderson is the Co-Captain of the ZBC team, Stormbringer. His dream? Evolve his Blade Liger into a Liger Zero and take his team to the top of the Royal Cup like his hero Bit Cloud. But when he encounters a young woman in the ruins, Stormbringer is entangled in a conflict with a shadowy organization and their nefarious plans that could shake the Commission -and Zi- to their core.





	1. Prologue: A Brewing Storm

Her heart thundered like a drum, each beat radiating through her chest in quick succession. The young woman remained as quiet as she could, pressed against a tree to catch her breath. She could hear shouting in the distance.

 

_ “I can't let them catch me. I won't go back.”  _

 

The shouting drew nearer; she needed to move. Keeping to the shadows and moving as quickly as she could without making any noise, she pressed on, using the distant crashing of waves as her guide. 

 

Each step taken was another step farther away from hell. In her mind, that wasn’t an exaggeration. The things she’d experienced here, the things these people were doing, sent a shiver down her spine. She pushed the thought out of her mind. There was no time to dwell on it right now. 

 

The sound of the waves was getting even closer now, her heart rate spiking as her escape-her freedom- drew closer as well. She yelped softly as she suddenly found herself face down on the ground. 

 

“Stupid roots.” She muttered, pulling her foot loose.

 

“Hey, I think I heard something over here.” A man’s voice came from nearby.

 

_ “Shit! Shit! Shit!”  _ She scrambled to her feet and took cover in a nearby bush, branches jabbing her sharply. She remained still and silent as their footsteps came near, as much a statue as she could be. The footsteps grew louder, now accompanied by the cracking of twigs beneath their feet.

 

They entered her line of sight: two men with flashlights and pistols. Their blinding beams swept across her hiding place a few times as they searched the area, burning through the inky night. 

 

“If you give up now come back quietly, you might get off easy, sweetheart.” the first one asserted. The tone in his voice caused her to shudder. The second one paused, and then, as if compelled by some unseen force, locked his sight on the bush. Slowly, he began to approach it.

 

_ “No, it can’t end this way!”  _ she thought as terror’s crushing grip closed around her. 

 

But it seemed Lady Luck was still on her side. Something, likely a deer, caused the foliage in the direction she’d come from to rustle, catching both men’s attention.

 

“Ahhh, now we’ve gotcha.” the first man said, aiming his flashlight beam in that direction and following the noise. His partner followed soon after. 

 

She held her breath until she could no longer hear them. It seemed like an eternity, but soon enough, neither their footsteps or their voices were audible anymore. She brushed aside some of her flame orange hair, matted with sweat, as she breathed a quiet sigh of relief. But she wasn’t out of the woods yet; literally or figuratively.

 

With the immediate danger gone, she slinked off towards the sound of the crashing waves again. Within another five minutes, she could see a moonlit beach beyond the trees. Crouching behind the treeline, she surveyed the area, trying to figure out the next leg of her escape.

 

And there it was in the moonlight, practically in her grasp: a dock with a motor boat moored to it, the lights of cities twinkling far in the distance beyond it. She didn’t know it yet, but it was the Western Continent of Europa she was seeing. 

 

There was only about twenty yards down the beach to the dock, but as she looked to see if the coast was clear, she encountered a problem. Aways down the beach, within plain view of the boat, a Rev Raptor attentively scanned the area. 

 

She grit her teeth. If she waited here much longer, she could be found. But if the Rev Raptor pilot saw her, it would be game over as well. It was faced away from her at the moment, but that could change any second.

 

_ “But this could be my only shot.”  _ she reasoned. She eyed the Zoid one last time, and decided to take her chances. Taking a deep breath, she sprinted from the treeline, every footfall kicking up a spray of sand. The sound of her feet hitting wood was was one of the most comforting things she’d heard in a long while. 

 

As soon as she boarded the boat, she had no time to enjoy its gentle bobbing on the waves. She found the fuel gauge easily enough, relieved to see that the craft had almost a full tank. But the real kicker, the reason all of her hopes had not been dashed right there, was that someone had left the keys laying right on the console. 

 

Unmooring the vessel, she put the keys in the ignition and turned it. As soon as the engine turned over, the Rev Raptor’s head snapped in her direction.

 

“Oh shit.” she exclaimed, heart racing again as the Zoid turned with a hiss and bolted forward, covering the distance quickly as she pushed the throttle to the max. She could clearly see the moonlight gleaming off of the Rev’s claws and scythes now. The boat jolted once, then finally surged forward, narrowly extending distance between her and the multi-ton machine. The Raptor strode into the water, reaching out with one of its wicked, claw-tipped hands. She found herself drenched by the spray as it swiped mere feet behind her and plunged into the water. 

 

It was a small price to pay though, as she entered open waters. The Rev Raptor pilot realized they could follow no longer and begrudgingly turned back, the Zoid letting out one last furious screech. 

 

The redhead bent over the steering wheel to catch her breath. Her heart was still beating ninety miles a minute, but at least terror had been joined by exhilaration. Heaving a sigh of relief, she straightened up again. The lights on the distant shore called for her as she set her course. It was there, under Zi’s two moons, that she was finally free again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's not gonna be a strict update schedule to this one. It's predominantly for my enjoyment, and it's beholden to my moods and drive.


	2. The Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Stormbringer achieves another victory, Luc receives a tip from an acquaintance about some Ancient Zoidian ruins. Eagerly in pursuit of his dream, our hero heads out the next morning, but will he find what he's looking for?

“Coordinates: S00X35; Zoid battle request in battle mode 0982. Battle mode 0982 approved. Judge capsule: release!” 

An object streaked across the sky like a shooting star above an open plain on Zi, heading straight for the planet’s surface.

On the plains, six Zoids stared each other down. On one side: a blue Blade Liger, a Dark Spiner, and a Houndsoldier. On the other: a Geno Saurer, a Lord Gale, and a white Blade Liger. The object from the heavens screamed down and made a nice crater about halfway between the two teams. From within, a white capsule rose, a panel on the front swinging open to reveal a humanoid robot. 

It “spoke” with a fittingly robotic voice that echoed across the battlefield. “The area within a fifty-kilometer radius is a designated Zoid battlefield. This zone is now restricted. Only competitors and personnel have authorized entry. All others must leave the area at once.” It paused, as if to give any unlucky civilians in the area a chance to scramble out, slowly looking from one team to the other during the moment of grace. Its voice broke the silence again as it resumed.

“Area scanned. Battlefield: set-up. Stormbringer versus Hammerstrike. Battle mode 0982. Readyyyyyyy. . .” It raised its arms before dramatically crossing them over in front of it, “FIGHT!”

No sooner than that word rang out did both sides explode forward. Both Blade Ligers raised their shields and activated both their main and attack boosters as they headed straight for each other. The Houndsoldier’s lances deployed forward as it charged wildly to intercept the Lord Gale, and the Geno Saurer rose on white-hot flames as it took off towards the Dark Spiner, all but the Blade Ligers letting out a hail of gunfire.

The blue Blade Liger blitzed around the white one with charged laser blades and Strike Laser Claws as they dropped their shields to do what they did best. Attack boosters shifted to their beam cannon modes and fired in tandem with blade guns and the impact cannons as the two massive metal felines wrestled with each other. The ground shook beneath their every step and metal was rent from its place in a terrifying display of melee prowess. The Ligers’ display of speed was impressive, but the real speed demon on the battlefield was the Lord Gale.

The gargoyle Zoid was screaming towards the Houndsoldier at a blistering five hundred and forty kilometers per hour. At those speeds, control was basically thrown out the window. The Hound was coming in at over three hundred kilometers per hour and had just deployed two eleven-meter lances. Even as the Lord Gale reversed thrusters in an attempt to slow down and move out of the way, the Houndsoldier was intently correcting to skewer its foe. Metal screeched and crumpled as the two met in their high speed collision, the gargoyle Zoid practically immobilized from its impaled position. The Gale fired its 30mm machineguns as it slashed wildly with the lance tips and scissor claw in an attempt to chew through the Houndsoldier’s armor, and while it did a number on the canine Zoid, the Hound’s firepower was far greater. In a matter of seconds, the Gale was stripped of its armor by a torrent of point-blank gunfire. The gargoyle Zoid’s optics flickered before finally going dark. The Lord Gale had gone limp. 

“Hell yeah!” the Hound’s pilot exclaimed upon her success. 

But now she found herself with a major issue: there was a Lord Gale in the way of all her methods of offense. As she struggled to rid herself of the dead weight, the pilot of the white liger decided to take advantage of her vulnerability. Throwing its weight around-bucking and eventually mule kicking the blue Liger off- and sending all boosters into full burn, the white Liger broke free, the formerly pristine white armor filled with slash marks and dents; even missing in some places. Its destination was clear: melee with the Houndsoldier. Said Houndsoldier, had just gotten through with grumpily dragging the Gale across the ground and pushing it away with its paws to dislodge it from its lances. 

“Skye, look out!” the blue Liger’s pilot cried out over its PA system, his Zoid tripping in an attempt to right itself and pursue. 

“Friggin’ hell!” The Hound turned just in time for the white Liger to duck around her lances and sink its teeth into the other Zoid’s neck, clearly going for the Zoid Control Conduit. Blades lanced forward and charged claws raked the Hound’s armor as the Blade Liger unleashed hell upon the other Zoid. The Houndsoldier returned fire, but alarms started blaring in the cockpit as its functionality began to dwindle. Then, the two Zoids were enveloped in an explosion. Only the Blade Liger emerged from the smoke. The Houndsoldier’s missiles had done a number on it, but the Hound was clearly down and out.

However, the other Liger was not just sitting idly by. The blue liger had been making an advance towards its opponent's location, and as soon as his opponent had emerged from the smoke, he tackled it headlong. Guns, teeth, blades, and claws, the collision itself sent both Ligers in a rolling, roaring pile across the plains. When the dust finally cleared, the white Liger lay limp as the blue one staggered to its feet, looking a bit worse for wear. Despite its condition, it threw back its head and let loose a mighty roar that echoed for kilometers. 

During all this, the Dark Spiner had been working on the Geno Saurer with a clear plan. The pilot had clearly avoided hitting his teammates, and was focusing on one very crucial part of the Geno Saurer: the right leg. Spewing a hellstorm of bullets and partaking in on and off melee, the Spiner had clearly gotten an upper hand with calculated strategy. The Blade Liger limped over to join its teammate against the Geno Saurer, which now seemed to worriedly look between the two Zoids staring it down. Looking about as worse for wear as the Blade Liger, the Geno Saurer cut power to its boosters and landed on the ground for its final gambit. The Tyrannosaur Zoid’s leg sparked dangerously with increased frequency. Even as fire from the advancing Spiner chipped away at its armor, the Geno Saurer straightened its neck and tail and opened its jaws, a barrel protruding from its throat. Two telltale thuds echoed throughout the area as its footlocks slammed down and vents in its tail began to open. A ball of purplish-blue light coalesced in its maw.

“Kai! Stay behind me!” The Blade Liger jumped in front of the Spiner, putting itself between it and the Geno Saurer. The charge up time was so short and the potential arc of the beam too wide for chances to be taken with them dodging it. The shield went up and the blades charged, the air around it beginning to hum and crackle. The vaunted Charged Particle Gun lanced out, only to disperse as it hit the Blade Liger’s shield. The Resonance Charge had done its job, but the strain was too much. Sparks flew from all over the Liger’s body as the beam died down. The light disappeared completely, and the Blade Liger collapsed in a system freeze. Taking advantage of the opponent’s momentary immobility, the Spiner leapt over its fallen teammate and charged the Geno Saurer, flaying its armor with gunfire, but ultimately ending it with teeth and Strike Laser Claws, tearing internals out of the damaged leg. The Geno Saurer’s optics flickered and it swayed, almost as if it was drunk. But as the Spiner let go with its jaws, the mighty Geno Saurer collapsed to the ground and the bell sounded.

“Battle over! Battle over! The winner is . . . Stormbringer!” the judgebot declared, raising its corresponding arm paddle. “Congratulations on your victory. Until the next battle . . .” The panel closed and there was a dull rumble before the judge capsule’s propulsion systems carried it back into the sky.

In the cockpit of his Blade Liger, Luc Anderson ran a hand through his messy blond hair and let out a sigh. “Well, we won. Sorry about that, Caliburn. I’ll get you fixed back up in no time.” He said, patting the Liger’s console and undoing his harness. With a hiss, the canopy opened and the co-captain of the ZBC team Stormbringer stepped out into the aftermath of his team’s victory.

“I had that all under control, Luc.” the Dark Spiner approached him, its silver armor glistening in the sunlight.

“Oh, come on, Kai. You know Sekitsui couldn’t have dodged that CPG in time.” Anderson retorted, raising his arm to shield his eyes from the sun. The Stormbringer team captain dropped from the Spiner’s cockpit and approached his second in command, face stoic. Then a smirk crossed Kai Yoshida’s face and he patted Luc on the shoulder.

“Oh, Sekitsui could definitely have gotten out of the way in time. But you did well.” Luc rolled his eyes at his captain’s arrogance.

“Thanks. Shall we go check on Skye?” He gestured towards the Houndsoldier. Kai nodded and they headed towards the downed Zoid.

Skye O’Malley lay spread-eagle on her back, staring up at the sky with a faint smile on her face. “Well, at least I got one!” She said with a chipper tone as her teammates’ shadows drifted over her. Rocking back then arching her back, she vaulted herself up onto her feet. She had to jump to return the high five that Luc offered.

Kai, on the other hand, was less enthusiastic. There were no high fives from him, just a stern look. “Skye, that was utterly reckless, using your missiles at melee range. I realize these are not the life or death battles of old, but winning is our only way to get into the Royal Cup. It’s not beneficial to the team if you take yourself out of the fight-especially when you don’t take the opponent down with you.”

“Oh jeez, Kai. We know. We all want to get into the Royal Cup. But it worked out this time.” Skye rolled her eyes.

“This time.”

“Kai,” she said, smiling sweetly, “Go fuck yourself.”

Luc snorted in an attempt to stifle his laughter. “Well,” he said after regaining his composure, “I think we can let her off the hook this time. She did take out the Gale and softened up the Liger for me.”

Kai grumbled as he looked between them, unenthused. His frame heaved with a sigh, finally “Let’s just get the Zoids into the Krono Fortress and get back to base already.”

* * *

_“Most of the damage was superficial, so I guess that will be pretty easy to fix, but the shield generators might need to be replaced, and that could be pretty costly, depending on the internal damage . . .”_

“Hello-ooooo! Zi to Luc!” Skye waved her hand in his face from across their table in the bar. He blinked a few times, indicating that she had gotten through to him. “Are you worrying about the repairs we need to make to Caliburn?” She asked, leaning back in her chair and taking a swig of her beer, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll have those shield generators fixed in no time. I have connections to get the parts at a decent price, so just relax. Capiche?”

“Oh, yeah, got it. Thanks, Skye.” He replied sheepishly. 

Alvin’s was a popular bar among Zoid pilots in the city of Mistvale, and not far from Stormbringer’s home base. The man who owned the place, obviously named Alvin, was friendly, as was his staff. Despite the dim lighting in the place, this was about all that was needed to make the place inviting. Then there was the food, which, although not the best around, it was still pretty damn good for the prices.

But the food and friendly atmosphere wasn't the big draw for Zoid pilots. While being a warrior in the ZBC could be very profitable, it wasn't always reliable because the earnings were contingent on you winning. As such, many ZBC pilots moonlighted as mercenaries, and Alvin’s was a place they would come to accept and turn in contracts. 

Stormbringer, however, was not here for extra money today, but to celebrate their most recent win, the fifth in their current streak. They were in their usual spot, a circular booth in the back corner. It was out of the way and had a good view of some of the TVs hanging behind the bar, which were usually showing ongoing Zoid battles, which currently held Kai’s attention, allowing Skye to steal some of his fries.

“Well, if it isn't Stormbringer. Congrats on another win!” a familiar voice inquired from off to Luc’s right, “too bad we’ll have to be the ones to end your streak.”

“I'd like to see you try, Leon. What’s up?” Luc responded with a sly smile.

Leon Harris was a fellow ZBC pilot from Titanslayer, another team in Class B that, despite a bit of a rivalry, was friendly towards their team. 

He chuckled, “We’ll see when the time comes, then. Anyway, I was just getting off a job. Pretty routine security gig.” Leon slid in on the edge of the booth next to Luc, “But that's not what I wanna talk about.”

“Well then, what is it?” Kai asked, bringing his attention to the conversation, yet still totally oblivious to Skye stealing another fry.

“Well,” Leon leaned in and dropped his voice, looking at Luc, “you’re still looking for an Organoid to evolve your Blade Liger, right?”

“Yeah?” Luc replied without hesitation, dropping his voice too. It was no secret that Luc had gotten a Blade Liger with the intent of one day evolving his partner into a Liger Zero. But the evolution into an Ultimate X Zoid required one, precious resource: an Organoid.

“What brought that up?” Luc raised an eyebrow at him.

Leon’s mouth widened into a grin, “Well, while I was on that job, I heard about some ruins near Robstown. You checked there yet?”

“No, I haven't.” Luc paused, then narrowed his eyes at the other pilot, “Wait, why are you telling me this?”

Leon clapped him on the back as he stood up to leave, “Because, having stronger rivals makes it more fun…and I like the thought of having you owe me one if you do find something there.” He grinned at the irked look Luc gave him, “Anyway, Melissa had an errand she wanted me to run on my way back to base, so I’m gonna scram. Good luck on your little escapade.” He gave a small wave before walking off.

“Later.” Luc only looked about halfway invested in his farewell, a dorky grin slowly spreading across his face as his mind clearly began to grapple with the idea of his goal finally being within his grasp. 

“Hey now, don’t go getting your hopes up just yet,” Kai warned, “There more than likely isn’t an Organoid there, or at least not anymore. The place has probably been picked clean already. And imagine, for the sake of argument, that there is an Organoid in those ruins; you don’t even know if it will be friendly towards you.”

Anderson pouted at him, rolling his eyes, “You think I don’t know the odds, Kai? Man, you can be such a buzzkill.”

He shrugged, “It’s okay to hope, but I just don’t want you to set yourself up for disappointment, bud.”

He glanced down at his plate and paused, obviously aware that something was off, but it took him a moment to realize just what it was, “Hey, what the hell happened to my fries?!”

* * *

The incessant screaming of the alarm was finally silenced by Luc’s fist slamming down on the snooze button. He lay there for a moment, face down, trying to find whatever bit of willpower he could to finally get up. He extended a finger, switching the alarm to “off” before rolling out of bed.

As he approached the base’s kitchen, a putrid burning smell assaulted his nostrils and induced his gag reflex. Luc cupped a hand over his nose as he worked up the courage to check out what had died. 

When he entered, he found Skye at the stove, frowning at what looked like the charred remains of an omelette that had done nothing to deserve this. She was poking it with a spatula, but it seemed to have atomically bonded to the pan. 

“You don’t give up, do you?” he asked, voice muffled by his hand as he quickly turned on the overhead vent fan, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you try to cook anything and be successful.”

She frowned, taking the pan over to the garbage can and shaking it violently to get the incinerated food out of it, but with limited success, “I don't understand why this always happens. I follow the instructions.” Finally, the charred remains landed in the can with a thunk. “You’re up incredibly early,” she remarked, defeatedly tossing the pan into the sink, “Leon’s tip must’ve gotten you pretty psyched to make that miracle happen.”

“Oh, come on, it’s not like I usually sleep that much later.” He grabbed a fresh pan down from the rack and used the ingredients she had out to make breakfast for the two of them.

Skye glanced at the stove clock, which displayed 7:00 in bright green letters, then looked back to her teammate with a smirk, “Dude, you’re usually not up until eleven.”

“Hey, I can cook for just myself if you’d like.” He gave a playful smirk back as the eggs sizzled in the pan, “Alright, fine, you got me. But this could be the fulfillment of a childhood dream. Why wouldn’t I be excited? Hearing all those stories about Bit Cloud and the Liger Zero as a kid, it just kind of painted this picture of it in my mind as the ultimate partner. Caliburn and I have been striving to achieve that for years now, and it could finally be within our grasp.” he put her omelette on a plate and placed it on the table in front of her before turning back to make his. 

“Well, I hope it works out that way,” Skye said between bites, “A Zoid like that would help the team immensely, and I’ve never seen a Conversion Armor System-capable Zoid in person. I’d love to see how it works.” she added with a certain giddiness in her voice, especially at the last thought.

“You sound almost as excited as me, and it wouldn’t even be your Zoid!” Luc returned with his own breakfast and sat in the chair across from her.

“How is it, by the way?” he gestured to her plate with his fork.

“Respectable, but not as good as Kai would make it.” she said bluntly.

“Well, at least you’re honest.”

* * *

Luc pulled on his usual shin-length black coat as he stepped out into the hangar. In here, even the six-foot-three pilot felt tiny, dwarfed by its inhabitants and the distant ceiling. Stormbringer’s hangar was a cavernous rectangular space with a branch off that led to Skye’s attached workshop. 

The Zoids lined the perimeter in bays grouped by pilot. Between corporate sponsors, ZBC discounts, and improved production costs, it was common for most pilots to have multiple Zoids, but the standard seemed to be about two or three. 

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Anderson briskly strode over to his area of the hangar, stopping before his Geno Saurer. 

Despite his menacing appearance, he was a mere imitation of the first Geno Saurers. Without the ability to clone from a Death Saurer’s gene elements, modern Geno Saurers lacked the same power output of the infamous machines that had appeared centuries ago. But to underestimate a Geno Saurer of any type was a grave error.

“Hey, Nemesis,” the pilot called up, causing the massive metal beast to heave - as if taking a deep breath. Nemesis’ optics ignited into a burning crimson as he looked down at his master, silently awaiting his orders like a soldier.

“Skye won’t be finished repairing Caliburn until later today, so you’re with me on this errand.”

The Tyrannosaur remained silent except for the hissing of hydraulic locks as the hatch on its chest opened up, a stirrup attached to a steel cable dropping down to Luc’s level. Putting his foot through the stirrup and gripping the cable tightly, he signaled for Nemesis to bring him up. 

Flopping into the comfortable pilot seat, he buckled up and gripped the controls as the hatch closed in front of him. The view screens leaped to life, bringing him the closest he would ever get to looking through the eyes of a dinosaur.

“Alright, let’s do this,” he keyed in the command to open the massive hangar doors before pushing the Zoid into a lumbering forward stride. As the blinding rays of the morning sun began to flood into the hangar, the Geno Saurer gave a low growl before igniting its boosters and surging out through the still-opening doors.

Unfortunately for Luc, Nemesis was not much of a conversationalist. The two and a half hour trek to the ruins - which Caliburn could have made in just under two hours- would have been silent if Luc hadn’t been playing rock music in the cockpit. But finally -after what had seemed like eons- he neared the coordinates that Leon had sent him last night, the mouth of a massive canyon opened before him.

The young pilot’s heart started racing. Somewhere within the shadow of these towering walls, there could be an Organoid sleeping; waiting to be woken up. He gripped the controls tightly and pushed Nemesis onward. He came to a part of the canyon where it seemed to widen a bit. Cutting the boosters, Luc dropped the Geno Saurer the ground and advanced forward slowly, the Zoid’s head sweeping back and forth like a searchlight. 

“This should be the place,” He said after checking his instruments, “Wait, what was that?”

He’d seen something off to the left, bringing Nemesis’ gaze to bear upon it. There, near a narrower arm in the canyon, lay the stoned over corpse of an old Republican Gun Blaster. Luc couldn’t tell how long it had been there, but it was every bit as fossilized as the ankylosaurs that gave it its form. What lay beyond it was far more interesting, though. Hidden away in that narrow arm of the canyon, he could see what looked like an ancient, man-made structure. The mere sight of it made his heart skip a few beats. Sending Nemesis into a sprint, he cleared the distance in a matter of seconds. The Zoid had barely come to a stop by the time he’d opened the cockpit door and began descending. 

 

He found the entrance to be in shambles; a mere shadow of its former glory. It towered above him, the elaborate carvings barely visible anymore - worn down by wind and rain over who knows how long. Massive pillars had tumbled to the ground in pieces, possibly looted long ago for the Zoidian carvings that had still been in good shape. The remaining carvings were now, at best, faint ghosts of what they once were.

Shielding his eyes from the rising sun, he made his way inside, greeted by the smell of the rusting metal of the walls and floors. Plants grew up between floor panels, and a lizard scurried across his path every so often. Part of the wall had been cut or peeled away to access a sealed room, and that was about all he could see with the sunlight that trickled in. He fished his phone out of his pocket and flicked on the flashlight, illuminating several feet in front of him. 

“Based on the looks of things so far, my chances don’t look great.” 

But Organoids had been found with less promising prognosis. He headed deeper, sweeping the flashlight slowly and keeping his eye out for anything that might suggest a secret room missed by scientists and plunderers.

A chill ran down his spine as he went deeper in. This place reminded him of some sort of horror movie-some monstrous creature could burst out at him at any second. Of course, nothing did, but that didn’t stop him from double checking that his handgun was in its holster on his hip.

He rounded a corner, entering a hallway with a doorway on either side. But there, at what would probably have looked like a dead end when the place was brand new, he saw a small bit of the wall had rusted away, revealing a space behind it. A secret door! Any control for it was likely now offline, so he got a good hold of it (careful not to cut himself) and gave the door a good tug. It wouldn’t budge.

He frowned, “Maybe the other way?”

He tried pushing his weight against it this time and the door swung open with a creak. Behind it was a narrow corridor, and just at the very end of his flashlight beam, he could see that corridor open up into a room. His heart began to race as he began walking forward-slowly at first, but it soon transitioned into an exuberant trot. But as his light illuminated deeper into the room, his spirits soon plummeted. There, in the center of the room were two stasis pods. Both empty. 

He stopped before the pods, shoulders slumping with a sigh, “Too late, yet again. Why do I even get my hopes up? God, I can hear Kai saying ‘I told you so.’ already.” 

But as he mused, the hairs on the back of his neck started to stand up, a feeling that he wasn’t alone overtaking him. Instinct warning him that there was something or someone else there.

“You’re not one of them, are you?” a woman’s voice came from behind him.

Luc whirled, turning to face the owner-a young woman around his age with waist-length, flame red hair. She tightly held a piece of metal in her hand like a club.

“Um, I don’t think so, but let’s define ‘them’,” he answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long while to update. Life is busy and depression and anxiety suck. Next chapter might take a while too, because I need to make some big decisions in my little world. But sit tight, Chapter 2 will come!


End file.
